The need for year-over-year growth is ultimately strangling the system. At the moment it is easy to lay a bunch of people off and claim that growth. Eventually (at some point in the future), it won’t be mathematically possible unless the C-suite starts taking pay cuts, or they at least start eschewing their crazy bonuses. Expect them to milk that for good press (“These forward-thinking CEOs are dumping the bonuses for… insert any random bullshit here!”) or other such marketing nonsense.

Eventually, it will stop, when the system no longer functions at all. Infinite year-over-year growth across the board is an impossibility.